Grant encourages minority men to teach

January 9, 2008 3:00:38 PM PST

A local group is getting a federal grant to encourage minority men to become teachers.

Congressman Danny Davis was on hand to announce the $1 million grant from the US Department of Education. It will go to the Home of Life Community Development Corporation. The program will serve mostly minority male students in Chicago and western suburbs.

"One of the things we're short of in schools are African-American males as teachers and role models in the educational system, so we're gonna use this Upward Bound program in an effort to address that," said Bertha Williams, Home of Life Community Development Corp.

In Chicago Public Schools, just over 5 percent of teachers are African-American men.